Easily releasable locking device for detachably securing a battery pack to a portable battery-powered apparatus

1. An easily releasable locking device for detachably securing a battery pack to a portable battery-powered apparatus with a bottom wall having a major surface, and an inner peripheral wall extending inwardly of and upwardly from the major surface, the inner peripheral wall defining an accommodation chamber with an opening to permit access from the major surface, and having left and right inner side walls spaced apart from each other in a longitudinal direction, the left inner side wall defining an axis of rotation which is transverse to the longitudinal direction, the battery pack having a major wall, and left and right lateral walls opposite to each other and transverse to the major wall, the left and right lateral walls mating respectively with the left and right inner side walls when the battery pack is inserted into the accommodation chamber from the major surface, the left lateral wall being disposed to be rotatable relative to the left inner side wall about the axis of rotation when the right lateral wall is moved away from the right inner side wall and out of the major surface, said locking device comprising: upper and lower assemblies of latch and cavity members adapted to be disposed between the right lateral wall and the right inner side wall respectively at first upper and lower positions which are aligned with each other and which are spaced apart from each other in a transverse direction relative to the longitudinal direction and parallel to the axis of rotation, said latch member and said cavity member of each of said upper and lower assemblies at a respective one of said first upper and lower positions being adapted to be disposed on the right inner side wall and the right lateral wall respectively, such that said latch members at said first upper and lower positions are disposed outboard to and are movable respectively towards said cavity members; two biasing members disposed to bias respectively said latch members to move towards said cavity members; and two ejecting members adapted to be disposed between the right lateral wall and the right inner side wall at second upper and lower positions respectively which are proximate to said first upper and lower positions respectively, each of said ejecting members being disposed along said transverse direction, such that each of said ejecting members is actuated in response to a manual movement which is against biasing action of a respective one of said biasing members in order to be adapted to lift the right lateral wall to move away from the right inner side wall and out of the major surface so as to rotate the left lateral wall, thereby facilitating removal of the battery pack from the portable battery-powered apparatus.

2. The easily releasable locking device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein each of said ejecting members includes a cam surface adapted to be disposed on the right lateral wall along said transverse direction, and a cam follower adapted to extend from the right inner side wall toward the right lateral wall to move on said cam surface so as to permit lifting of the right lateral wall to move away from the right inner side wall when a respective one of said latch members is moved away from a corresponding one of said cavity members.

3. In combination, an electronic device having an accommodation chamber including first and second parallel walls and third and fourth walls extending between the first and second parallel walls; a battery pack fitting into the accommodation chamber, the battery pack having (a) fifth and sixth parallel walls respectively in close proximity to the first and second parallel walls and (b) seventh and eighth walls respectively in close proximity to the third and fourth walls; a locking arrangement for securing the battery pack in the accommodation chamber and selectively enabling the battery pack to be removed from the accommodation chamber by turning the fifth wall about the first wall and lifting the sixth wall from close proximity to the second wall; the locking arrangement including: (a) first and second latch members arranged for longitudinal movement in the same direction as the direction of extent of the first, second, fifth and sixth walls, and (b) first and second cavity members positioned to respectively receive the first and second latch members while the latch members hold the battery pack in the accommodation chamber, and (c) first and second bias members respectively assoicated with the first and second latch members; the first and second latch members, the first and second bias members, and the first and second davity members being arranged so that (a) the first and second latch members are respectively urged against the first and second cavity members by the first and second bias members to hold the battery pack in the accommodation chamber and (b) the first and second latch members are released from the first and second cavity members in response to the first and second latch members being manually pushed against the first and second bias members to enable (i) the sixth side of the battery pack to be removed from the accommodation chamber and (ii) the fifth side of the battery pack to turn about the first side of the accommodation chamber, the battery pack including a flap portion carrying the first and second cavity members, the flap portion being along the sixth wall of the battery pack and removed from the fifth wall, and the electronic device carries (a) the first and second latch members and (b) the first and second bias members; the first and second cavity members, the first and second bias members, and the first and second latch members being arranged so that the first and second bias members respectively urge the first and second latch members toward each other and into the first and second cavity members while the battery pack is latched in the accommodation chamber.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein the battery pack includes first and second cam surfaces and the electronic device includes first and second cam followers, the first and second cam followers being respectively coupled with the first and second latches so that (a) the first and second cam followers are spaced from the first and second cam surfaces when the battery pack is latched in the accommodation chamber by the first and second latches being biased into the first and second cavity members, and (b) the first and second cam followers respectively engage the first and second cam surfaces to assist in removing the battery pack from the accommodation chamber when the first and second latches are respectively released from the first and second cavity members.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein the first latch member and the first cam follower are carried by a first structure and the second latch member and the second cam follower are carried by a secons structure, so that the first and second cam followers move in the same direction as the direction of extent of the first, second, fifth and sixth walls in response to the first and second latches and the first and second structures being moved against the biases of the first and second bias members.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein each of the first and second cam surfaces includes a sloping surface respectively engaged by the first and second cam followers in response to the first and second structures being moved toward the third and fourth walls of the accommodation chamber, the sloping surfaces having a slope direction so that when the first and second cam followers respectively engage the first and second cam surfaces the fifth wall of the battery packs turns about the first wall of the accommodation chamber.

7. The combination of claim 3 wherein the battery pack includes first and second cam surfaces and the electronic device includes first and second cam followres, the first and second cam followers being respectively coupled with the first and second latches so that (a) the first and second cam followers are spaced from the first and second cam surfaces when the battery pack is latched in the accommodation chamber by the first and second latches being biased into the first and second cavity members, and (b) the first and second cam followers respectively engage the first and second cam surfaces to assist in removing the battery pack from the accommodation chamber when the first and second latches are respectively released from the first and second cavity members.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein the first latch member and the first cam follower are carried by a first structure and the second latch member and the second cam follower are carried by a second structure, so that the first and second cam followers move in the same direction as the direction of extent of the first, second, fifth and sixth walls in response to the first and second latches and the first and second structures being moved against the biases of the first and second bias members.

9. The combination of claim 8 wherein each of the first and second cam surfaces includes a sloping surface respectively engaged by the first and second cam followers in response to the first and second structures being moved toward the third and fourth walls of the accommodation chamber, the sloping surfaces having a slope direction so that when the first and second cam followers respectively engage the first and secomd cam surfaces the fifth wall of the battery packs turns about the first wall of the accommodation chamber.